Are Biosolids Good or Bad?

Biosolids is a term used for materials that result from municipal wastewater treatment. These materials are rich in nutrient and also contain phosporus, nitrogen, phosphorus, copper, molybdenum and zinc. Since the 1970's, farmers and companies have been using these biosolids as crop fertilizers as the materials it contains are important for plant growth and the need for chemical fertilizers will be reduced. Although some may see biosolids as beneficial to soil fertility and plant growth, others see it as dangerous and a potential health hazard.

Pros:
The application of biosolids to land helps improve and replenish healthy soil, increases the water-holding capacity of soil and reduces topsoil runoff. Biosolids also improve water quality and reduces the chance of soil erosion by helping with binding soil particles.

Not only does using biosolids benefit plants and soil, but also landfills that are close to being shut down due to limited space. In the United states, more than 1,200 landfills were closed due to the rising cost of environmental requirements. Cities are running out of space for landfill and new places for waste have become challenging because communities do not want them due to health risks. So using biosolids somewhere else where it can actually used helps resolve dilemma of landfill shortage.

Cons:
Biosolids may contain traces of chemicals and pollution and if by chance, in high concentrations, then it would be a human and environmental danger. In some parts of Canada, people who have been exposed to fields containing biosolids are getting sick, or worse, dying.

According to the Canada Free Press, an 11-year-old boy from Osceola Mills died of staphylococcal septicaemia. Several days after riding his motorbike through a field containing biosolids, he complained of a sore throat, headaches and boils on several body parts. When antibiotics were given, the boy did not respond to them and passed away six days after the bacteria traveled into his bloodstream.

In some cases, a number of house pets of families that live near fields have been put down due to boils that they developed.

Another con of using biosolids on farms is the odour. When passing by farms with cow manure, people can't stand the horrible smell of it. Imagine passing by a field with human waste. Some describe the smell to be worse than that of cow manure.

In my opinion, I think that using biosolids on crops could be beneficial in terms of helping to improve plant growth and the fertilization of soil. But I believe that using too much biosolids on fields can cause health problems for residents that live nearby. Biosolids shouldn't be a thought of as a permanent replacement for regular fertilizer as it hasn't been proven to be 100% safe.

Resources:
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/nm/nasm/sewbiobroch.htm#1
http://www.cwwa.ca/faqbiosolids_e.asp
http://www.biosolids.com/benefits.html
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2002/ed80502.htm

Pictures used:
http://toxics.usgs.gov/photo_gallery/photos/ec_earthworms/BiosolidsSamplingArea_l.jpg
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/89/i15/8915scene3.html
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/post/2010/0409_1.htm